My favorite song on their self-titled album is "Could I Be," but I couldn't find a good quality recording to link, so I settled for my second favorite song, which is "Play It Right".
I also occasionally happen across a recipe that brings what was beginning to feel like a life-long search, to an end. In this case, it's lumpia. For those of you who don't know, lumpia is a Filipino egg roll consisting mainly of meat.
When I lived in Portsmouth, Virginia I fell in love with this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Lee's Garden because of their "skinny" egg rolls. They just called them egg rolls, but they weren't like any egg roll I'd ever had. I didn't even like egg rolls until I had these.
Sadly, after years of bliss, Lee's Garden closed. A year later I moved to Naples, FL (possibly out of disappointment) and finally, after living there for four years, I found The Golden Leaf. Their egg rolls weren't quite as good as Lee's Garden, but after four years of risky egg roll endeavors, it was close enough for me.
Then, after a year of driving 30 minutes across town in hot-ass Florida several times a month just for egg rolls, they stopped making them. Why!? Dear God, Why!?
Lucky for me, I'm not afraid to voice my disappointment, which is a nice way of saying I'm a complainer; a food snob; a picky bitch. In the middle of one of my egg-roll-shitty-restaurant rants to my mother, she informed me that her roommate made pretty good "skinny" egg rolls. I demanded to speak to him at once!
The recipe wasn't perfect, but it was damn close. I made a few changes here and there, and after about the third batch, I had it. Lee's Garden, baby! My search was over. Of all places to find a near-perfect recipe, I did not expect to locate it over the phone from a guy living 1000 miles away that was down on his luck.
This recipe is something you can totally play around with. Sometimes I grind shrimp to put in with the ground pork, which adds a really nice flavor. It probably sounds weird, but I smell the batch before I roll it. Once I really like the smell, I know it's properly seasoned. I tend to just throw things together and then estimate the seasoning. What I have here is about as exact as I could get it.
Lumpia
1 lb ground pork
1 1/2 to 2 C carrots (grated and chopped)
1/2 to 1 C cabbage (finely shredded)
1/2 to 1 bundle green onions (sliced very thin)
pinch of ground ginger or 1/2 tsp minced fresh
1 clove minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste (I use 1tsp salt and a dash of pepper)
1 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 T white sherry
1/4 tsp fish sauce
1 package lumpia wrappers
1 egg (beaten)
vegetable oil for frying (I use safflower oil)
*Mix pork, carrots, cabbage, onions, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, soy sauce, fish sauce and sherry in a large bowl.
*Put 1 T of mix on edge of lumpia wrapper, spread it out along the edge, and tightly roll it half way, fold sides in and continue tightly rolling until there is about 1/2" to 1" left of the wrapper. Rub egg on the end so it will seal and complete rolling.
*Heat oil to between 325 and 350 degrees. Deep fry it in hot oil for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towel so it can cool. You can fry these ahead of time and then warm them in the oven before serving.
*Please note that the temperature of the oil is important. If the oil is too cool, they will be very greasy. If the oil is too hot, they will overcook on the outside and be under cooked on the inside. Use a deep fry thermometer to be sure the temperature is accurate.
*Sweet chili sauce is a great dipping sauce for these, as is Duck sauce. Or just eat them plain.
Even though they're at their best when they're fresh, I usually triple my batch and freeze them in bundles of five so I can have them whenever. It's worth the effort to have something super quick and delicious to snatch out of the freezer and cook for dinner. I usually thaw them before I fry them but have cooked 'em up while frozen as well.
This is certainly one of those Little-Red-Hen recipes.
"Who will help me make the lumpia mix?"
"Not I," barked the dog.
"Who will help me roll the lumpia?"
"Not I," purred the cat.
"Who will help me cook the lumpia?"
"Not I," quacked the duck.
"Who will help me eat the lumpia?"
"We will!" said the dog, cat, and duck.
This recipe is easy but tedious. I usually give it to people when I share my lumpia with them in hopes that they will one day make some for me. It has yet to happen. But maybe you'll make some for me. Please?
After rolling about the 50th one, my back starts to hurt. My husband no longer volunteers me to make these since I made him help one time. But if you're up for it, they are sooooo good! And if you're nice to me, maybe I'll put you on my lumpia list.
